Atlantic City Mayor Lays Out Red Carpet For Town's Economic Recovery
By David Madden
MEDIA, Pa. (CBS) -- Atlantic City mayor Don Guardian addressed the Delaware County Press Club today in Media, discussing his long-term goals for the shore town that has been wracked over the past few weeks by consolidation in the casino gambling industry.
The first question from the audience was, what about Donald Trump? His name is on one casino that has already shut down and another that could close in November.
In fact, Trump's been out of Atlantic City for years -- the Trump Plaza and Trump Taj Mahal casino-hotels have used his name through marketing agreements.
But now, "The Donald" is thinking about coming back into the shore town, and Guardian says he is ready to hold the door open:
"I'm thrilled to have someone of his stature to consider Atlantic City and, as he said, it's a bargain basement price now to come back in town."
But Guardian admits he will have to trim millions of dollars in municipal spending to get the state aid he seeks.
And he says one of the linchpins of Atlantic City's recovery is getting a college campus in town. He says to look for an announcement from Stockton State College before the end of the year.